The present invention relates generally to systems and method for preventing contamination of access ports. In particular, this disclosure discusses an antimicrobial access cap which is configured to receiving an access port of an intravascular device, an inner surface of the antimicrobial access cap having been treated with an antimicrobial agent.
In the fields of medicine and health care, a patient's skin may be punctured in a variety of manners and for a variety of reasons. In one example, a cannula or an intravenous (“IV”) catheter is forced through the patient's skin into an interior space, such as the patient's vasculature. In this example, the cannula or IV catheter can be used for infusing fluid (e.g., saline solution, medicaments, and/or total parenteral nutrition) into the patient, withdrawing fluids (e.g., blood) from the patient, and/or monitoring various parameters of the patient's vascular system. The cannula or IV catheter generally comprises a distal end which is positioned within the patient's vasculature, and a proximal end which is located external to the vasculature of the patient. As such, a physician may access the vasculature of the patient via the exposed, proximal end of the IV catheter.
While an IV catheter is convenient for providing prolonged access to the vasculature of the patient, the exposed portions of the catheter are susceptible to contamination by various strains of bacteria and viruses. Indeed, it is estimated that each year hundreds of thousands of patients in the United States alone develop some form of bloodstream infection that is caused by pathogens that were communicated to the patient through or because of an IV catheter or another IV access device, such as a hypodermic needle. Many of the bacterial pathogens that cause these catheter-related bloodstream infections are introduced into the vasculature of the patient through repeated attempts to access the patient's vasculature via the exposed portion of the IV catheter. Bacterial colonies which develop on the exposed portion of the IV catheter are transferred to the patient by way of a needle or syringe which is inserted into the proximal, exposed portion of the IV catheter.
Often, these catheter-related bloodstream infections cause patient illness and, in some cases, death. Furthermore, because some infections are caused by bacterial strains (e.g., Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (“MRSA”) and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (“VRE”)) that are resistant to antibiotics, such infections can be hard to treat and may be becoming more prevalent. Additionally, because patients that have a bloodstream infection may require additional medical treatment, catheter-related bloodstream infections may also be associated with increased medical costs.
In an attempt to limit bloodstream infections (i.e., catheter-related infections) in hospital, outpatient, home care, and other health care settings, many have implemented sanitary techniques. For example, many health care providers have placed a strong emphasis on wearing gloves, cleaning hands, and cleaning the exposed portion of the IV catheter before inserting a needle or syringe. Some health care providers have devised a medical device cap which includes a cleaning solution, as taught in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/877,519, which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety. However, the demands of some medical emergency situations often preclude the use of currently available sanitary techniques.
Thus, while methods and systems currently exist to reduce bloodstream infections, challenges still exist. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace current techniques with other techniques.